A First For Me. . .

     I’m not like other people. I figured that out a LONG time ago.  When I became a media specialist at Westwood, I was one of 20 something middle school librarians.  Before that, I was one of six, sometimes seven  Social Studies teachers at my school.  I am my own person, but I was just one of a herd.
     Now, things have changed a little.   There are five K-8 schools in our county.  Of those five, only three have a certified media specialist  - I’m the tie breaker. Until my school, we have two media specialists and two media paras.  Of those five schools, the other four are schools of choice – meaning students have to apply and they have rules about who can come to their school and who can’t.  Needless to say,  those schools of choice generally get a pretty good school grade. For some reason,  students who might bring down test scores don’t stay very long!  So my brand new school is a K-8 school, but it’s a regular school. We don’t get to choose or remove students.  We are bound by all the “regular” school rules. So I’m in a pretty unique position – there’s no other media specialist in all of Polk County in the same situation as I am.  I’m special!
     Today was my first school orientation ever with elementary  age students.  It was . . . different. It was fascinating.  Some of them are so little and most of them are so, so excited about school. Our school is brand new, which is very exciting for all of us, and the vast majority of kids and parents I saw today are all excited.  I’m excited!
     So today, one of the first families I saw had a mom with a pink cast on her foot, with a knee scooter like my friend Laquita used last year after her bunion surgery.  This mom was wheeling around like an expert. She told me she’s been on it for almost six weeks.  Her little girl is in first grade. They wanted to look around my beautiful new media center so of course, I let them!  This little girl was adorable. Her eyes were as big as saucers.  She didn’t say much, but she was soaking it all in.  They told me she was home-schooled for  kindergarten last year, so this is her first experience in school.I talked to her a little, asked if she was excited about school, if she liked books, just general small talk.  She nodded at me, and they went on their way.  
     A little while later, they came back to the media center.  I thought maybe there was a problem since the guidance counselors were fixing problems in the media center.   I asked if everything was OK.  Her mom said

“Oh yes, she told us we had to come back in here so she could tell her librarian goodbye.”

I almost cried. I knelt down so I could see her more closely and she just looked at me and smiled. I told her thank you and that she made me very happy.   
     I’ve worked in middle school for a really long time. Middle schoolers may like you, but they don’t always  act like they do. They may  tell you later, when they are older, but not so much while they are in middle school. 

     I don’t know why my new principal chose me.  I don’t know what the future holds for this job. (I don’t like change – so I intend to stay here until I retire! Moving is too hard!) Leaving my friends and family at Westwood was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done – definitely the hardest decision in my professional life.  I thought of the verse in Esther that says “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”  I’m not saying I’m as important as Queen Esther. I’m not here to save an entire group of people.  But I’m firmly convinced that God had a plan for me all along.  I’m here at this place and this point for something.  Maybe this sweet little girl is one of the reasons.  I can’t wait to see what happens next!